The Merman

©Jason I. Stutz 2019

Alive in the currents of today’s stormy seas, the Mer-populations continually swim to clearer waters, deeper than before, more hidden than before, as the results of mankind’s activities encroach upon their peerless habitats.

A large, steel fishing boat floated lazily upon the open waters.  Upon the deck, the captain rest his chin upon his elbow on the railing overlooking the great expanse of sea, dreaming hazily of his future, of the money he’ll bring, of the fish to be caught, the nets, the equipment, his men.

The Merman had been holding his tongue for many, many a long and difficult year.  He raised his eyes to the surface of the glassy sea to catch a glimpse of this man on his boat.  He seemed pleasant enough, even awash as he was in his dreams.  The Merman’s stomach ached, not from hunger, but worry.  Without consulting any of his school, he decided to at last breach the gap.  As he swam gently toward the fisherman’s boat, layers and layers of illusions peeled off and he felt a great threat to his body and being.  He gulped another breath of ocean and breathed out: bloopooopooopooopooop! the bubbles popped on the surface of the sea.

He placed his hands upon the strange, steel walls of the boat, opened his mouth and called to the captain, who broke from his bleary dreams and glanced upon the face of the Merman unsuspectingly.  The Merman said hello, and that he wanted to speak to a human for a very long time.  As he said this, his anger rose, and then his hurt, and then he began to cry of all the many years of struggle because of the activities of men.

The Captain was astonished at what he was looking upon.  The squeaks and sorrowful cries from this creature reminisced of, what he imagined, the sound of Neptune blowing through a conch shell the words of his truth.  But the captain did not know the language, and so it presented to him as merely song, like of a bird, or dolphin, or whale.

The Merman’s heart broke, then, having revealed himself, uncomprehendingly,  he turned from his great risky encounter with the man and swam swiftly down, down, down, to the center of the very sea.